


Together Together

by ImmaDeckYouInTheShnoz



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-05-13 19:44:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19257922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmaDeckYouInTheShnoz/pseuds/ImmaDeckYouInTheShnoz
Summary: Ren and Nora met in Kuroyuri. Now they had to leave. How would Ren deal with the loss of his family and his home, and how would Nora learn to love herself?





	1. Where are we going?

“What’s your name?”  
“Nora.”  
“My name’s Lie Ren.”  
  
He smiled as he stared at the small, orange haired girl sitting in front of him. Nora, she said her name was. He was going to protect her. Like his father would have protected him. A screech rang through the cold night air. Ren tried to ignore it. He had to be brave. He looked over at Nora, who had a frightened, yet determined look on her face.  
  
“Can we leave now..?” Nora asked, voice shaking.  
Ren nodded. “It’s not safe to stay here.”  
  
Ren grabbed Nora’s hand, a weird sensation washing over him. They got out from under the house, and immediately started running. Ren didn’t want to look back. He knew if he looked back, he wouldn’t want to leave. He glanced down at Nora, who looked back at him, and the two ran. Ren ran faster, pulling Nora alongside him.  
  
-/-  
  
Nora watched as tiled rooftops came into view, and smiled as she realised they were at another village. They were safe. She looked up at the boy who helped her, Lie Ren. He was wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Why was he crying? They were safe. Finally safe.  
  
“Are… you okay, Ren?”  
  
She watched as he turned to face her. He smiled at her, and nodded. She wasn’t sure she believed that, but she smiled at him anyways. They walked into the village, hand in hand.  
  
-/-  
  
Ren wasn’t used to this. He was used to having someone to rely on. He was not used to any of this. He didn’t want to make decisions and certainly didn’t want to do everything himself. He wasn’t even sure how they’d survive anymore. He didn’t know how, not without his parents. He was alone now, and he had to be brave.  
  
“Where are we going…?”  
  
He looked down at Nora, the motion becoming so familiar. Light pink met aqua, and Ren’s grip grew even tighter. He said he would be brave. He said they would be brave. He would keep his word. He had to.  
  
Ren stopped walking. He felt Nora tug at his arm. He ignored her. He had to think. They needed shelter, they needed food. They were kids, so surely, surely, someone would help them. All they had to do was ask.  
  
-/-  
  
_He ignored me._  
  
Nora tried to pretend not to be hurt. She tugged at his arm again, hoping to gain his attention. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, and people were starting to stare. She tugged harder.  
  
_He doesn’t care._  
  
Nora pushed her thoughts to the back of her head. She had to trust him. He was the only person she had. She didn’t want to be alone. She continued to tug at Ren’s arm. He didn’t respond.  
  
“We should ask for help. Food, shelter, anything.” Ren finally said.  
  
Nora nodded. _So that’s what he was thinking about,_ Nora thought to herself. _Nobody would ever help me._  
  
“Can you stop tugging my arm?” Ren asked.  
  
His tone was patient and friendly, but Nora could tell it was laced with irritation. Nora nodded again. She let him take her to a random house. He knocked on the door, and they were greeted by a man and a woman, who looked down at them. They looked at her first, and she could see the disgust in their eyes. They instead turned their gaze at Ren, and their eyes immediately softened. __  
  
Why would anyone ever help me?  
  
-/-  
  
Ren politely conversed with the people in front of him. They smiled at him, and talked to him kindly. He didn’t like these people. He could see the way they glared at Nora. For some odd reason, he felt like he wanted to hit something every time they looked at her. Their barely hidden disdain for her was so obvious. He wanted nothing to do with people who treated others like that.  
  
The woman smiled at him. “I am so sorry about your village, young man. How can we help?”  
“Could you spare a room for me and my friend here?” Ren asked, almost sure of how they were going to answer.  
The man looked at Nora. “We don’t have a room for her. You can stay if you want.”  
“Then I’m sorry, but no thanks.” Ren said as he slammed the door in their faces.  
  
-/-  
  
Nora looked at Ren in shock as he slammed the door on the couple. He smiled at her. She automatically smiled back, then turned away and looked at the floor. She wondered why he did that. They – no, he – could’ve gotten help from them.  
  
_Why would he defend me?_  
  
“Let’s go Nora, we have more houses to visit.”  
  
Nora nodded. She squeezed his hand tightly, not wanting to let go. They walked to the next house. She stared at Ren. Ren smiled at her. Nora smiled back.  
  
_Why is he different from everyone else?_  
  
-/-  
  
Ren reached out to knock on the door. He stopped abruptly as his surroundings changed. Suddenly, cracks formed in the door and the house turned into a ruin. He spun around in a panic. Everywhere else was the same. Screeches filled the air, and made his ears ring and his head spin.  
  
_Where am I?_  
  
He turned around and saw a waterlily calmly floating on the water. He panicked. _I can’t be back here,_ Ren thought, _Nora and I escaped, how am I back here? I can’t be._  
  
“No… Not again…. It’s not possible!”  
  
He heard screams. People running, screaming. Grimm screeching. A muffled voice, calling his name. _Wait what-_  
  
“Ren! Ren, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Ren, please speak to me!”  
  
Ren closed his eyes, then reopened them. The grimm were gone. The houses weren’t broken. Nora was right there, tears in the corners of her eyes. Her aqua eyes that were swimming with concern.  
  
“Ren! Oh thank goodness! Are you alright?”  
“I’m… I’m fine. Thanks to you.”  
  
Ren smiled at her. Nora smiled back.  



	2. Why can't I understand you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Nora find a place to stay. Ren wonders why Nora is so excited about a house, and Nora can't figure Ren out at all.

Nora led Ren to the next house, still smiling at him. Nora took a deep breath then turned to face the door. Ren tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around.   
  
“I can do the talking, if you want.” Ren stated.   
  
_His voice is shaking,_ Nora noted. _What happened to him?_ Nora smiled at Ren, then shook her head. She turned and faced the door again. Her heart was pounding. _Whoever lives here will hate me too._ She knocked on the door.   
  
Nora heard muffled footsteps that grew louder and louder. She took a step back in fear as the door swung open. Nora looked up at the person standing in the doorway. A lady stood there. The lady was fair skinned, with brown hair she wore in a plat, and wore a purple and white dress. Nora found her eyes interesting, as they were an odd shade of purple.   
  
Nora grinned at the lady. “Hullo!”   
“Hi there! What would two adorable little children such as yourselves be looking for at my house?” The lady asked.   
“We would like some assistance. You see, we have nowhere to go and nothing with us, so if you have any food you would like to offer, or any shelter you could provide, that would be helpful.” Ren stated flatly.  
Nora elbowed Ren, who blinked at her in surprise. “What Ren is trying to say is, could you help us?”  
“Of course!” The lady said. “Come in!”  
  
-/-  
  
Ren let go of Nora’s hand. He sighed as Nora excitedly asked about every single thing in the house. _How could she be this excited about a house?_ Ren wondered to himself. He glanced around the house. It was very neat and tidy. The lady’s house seemed to have a purple, white and pink theme, as nearly everything in the house was a shade of those colours.  
  
“Wow! You have a really nice house! It looks amazing!” Nora squealed excitedly.   
“And it’s very clean.” Ren added.   
“Thank you, but it’s really nothing to marvel about.” The lady said.  
  
Ren counted two bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, and an open plan kitchen with the lounge room right next to it. There was a small table that Ren assumed was the dining table. Ren stopped at a picture of a building. It was large and very impressive in terms of architecture.   
  
“Excuse me, where was this picture taken?” Ren politely asked.   
“Oh that’s Haven academy.” The lady said, picking up the photograph and smiling. “That’s the combat academy I attended.”  
  
Ren suddenly recalled that he hadn’t seen Nora in a little while. He spun around on his heel, looking around for Nora. He finally spotted her in the kitchen, her mouth stuffed with food. _How could anyone be that hungry?_ He thought to himself, perplexed.  
  
He walked into the kitchen. He would have said it was organised, if there wasn’t a small, orange haired girl shovelling food into her mouth. The lady arrived in the kitchen and gently laughed at the sight. _How is this funny?_ Ren thought to himself. _  
  
_“Nora, you should ask before eating someone else’s food.” Ren stated.   
“Oh it’s perfectly okay.” The lady replied. “After all, you both are staying here, aren’t you?”  
“Thank you again for letting us stay.” Ren said, bowing his head slightly in her general direction.   
  
The lady smiled at him. Ren looked back at Nora, who was hesitantly putting back the food she hadn’t yet attacked. He sighed. He made eye contact with Nora, who was finishing off a pancake. She grinned at him.   
  
“Please finish your pancake before smiling, Nora. It’s gross.”  
“Sorry Ren!”  
  
-/-  
  
Nora finished off the last of her pancake, then smiled at Ren. Ren sighed slightly then smiled back. She glanced at the lady, who was standing behind Ren. The lady gave her a warm smile, which made Nora feel all fuzzy inside. She had felt the same feeling when Ren helped her. Nora wished the feeling would stay forever.   
  
“Hey, hey, we don’t know your name yet, miss!” Nora said, looking at the lady.  
The lady giggled, and replied, “My name is Heather. Heather Shields. It’s nice to meet you, Nora.”  
Nora gasped in surprise. “How do you know my name?”   
“We use our names when we talk to each other, Nora. She heard us use each other’s names.” Ren said in a flat, monotone voice.   
“Ohhhhh,” She replied. “That makes sense."  
  
Nora hopped down from her seat. She started walking to another room, when Ren tapped on her shoulder. Nora turned her head to look at him. He pointed at where she was just eating. Small pieces of food was strewn all around the area, and Nora groaned. _Please don’t make me pick them up!_ Nora repeatedly thought to herself. Ren blinked at her. _What is that supposed to mean?!_ Nora frantically thought to herself. _You just blinked!  
  
_Nora sighed, and decided to just pick up her mess. She started walking over, when she was intercepted by Heather. Heather smiled at her, and bent down to pick up the mess of food.   
Nora helped clean up, getting on all fours. In the corner of her eye, she saw Ren doing the same. She looked at him, and he stared back curiously. He blinked a few times, which confused Nora even more. He smiled. _I must’ve done something right then,_ Nora thought, smiling to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is terrible. I've had these sections for a while and I wanted to add more to it but nope! Writer's block just had to strike me again!  
> Anyways, hope you like this chapter, and thanks for reading!


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren has a daydream... or is it a nightmare?

Ren’s thoughts drifted as he picked up bits of food from the floor. His thoughts always wandered back to the same thing. Kuroyuri. He desperately tried to think of something else. He had Nora now. He seemed to have Heather now too. He had people there with him. That was enough. 

Ren glanced up at Nora, noting how her eyes looked aqua sometimes, and jade others. His thoughts wandered to Nora. _She’s like a puzzle._ He thought. _I have no idea what to expect when it comes to her._ He smiled to himself as he continued to pick up the mess made by his little puzzle. 

He continued to ponder these thoughts until they finished cleaning up. Ren listened to Nora’s stream of apologies for the mess. He sighed, closing his eyes as he heard Nora apologize to Heather for the 38th time. When he reopened them, he noticed small pinpricks of liquid in Nora’s eyes. He also noticed she looked frightened, as if she was afraid that they would hate her for something as simple as making a mess. 

He started moving towards her. He stopped as he watched Heather scoop Nora up in a hug. _Looks like I wasn’t the only one who noticed._ He stopped moving towards them, his previously outstretched hand making its way to his lap. He sat in silence, watching the pair’s embrace. 

Suddenly Ren felt the same feeling as earlier that day. He felt sick. He closed his eyes, praying for the feeling to go away. He opened his eyes, which widened in shock as he took in his surroundings. He was in his home, undamaged, with his mother embracing him. Only, it didn’t feel warm like it usually did. He closed his eyes again, hoping that he would be back in Heather’s house. He wasn’t. He looked around and saw the ruins of Kuroyuri yet again. He turned and saw his mother, before seeing the ceiling above her collapse, and watched as his mother was crushed underneath it. 

Suddenly, he was dragged back into reality. He felt warmth engulf every part of his being, looking in shock at Nora and Heather as they held tightly onto him and each other. He felt tears spring to his eyes. He had missed this kind of warmth. He hugged back, relishing in the joy he felt, and the warmth emanating from the two. _I wish this would last forever._

-/- 

Nora stared up at the ceiling. She pulled her blanket higher, so it touched her chin. She glanced over at the bed next to her. Ren’s sleeping form lay before her eyes. She noted his appearance with his hair down, thinking briefly that he looked better like that. Nora suddenly noticed that Ren was shaking, and muttering in his sleep. 

She crept out of her bed and sat on Ren’s. Her hands moved to touch his face, which she realized was glistening with tears. She wiped them away gently, then held his hand and squeezed tightly. Ren slowly stopped shaking, seeming peaceful. Nora liked it better when he looked like this. _Calm_ , Nora settled on. I like it when he’s calm, peaceful. _I think I’d like it better if he was happy though…_

Nora remembered what happened at the doorway, then what happened in the kitchen. Ren had frozen. He didn’t answer her at all, and didn’t even seem to be there. _Like he was in his own world…_ Nora thought. _A daydream?_ Nora remembered Ren shaking while she and Heather hugged him. She remembered him seemingly breaking down right in front of her in front of the door. _No. A nightmare._ She decided to stay next to him. 

-/- 

Ren slowly opened his eyes, sunlight seeping into his vision from the window. He yawned quietly, his hands springing to his eyes and wiping them. He tried to face the window, but felt a sudden pain on his head. He realized his hair was caught under something. He turned slightly and saw a shock of orange hair next to him. He smiled softly and patted the hair. He slowly tried to get out of bed without waking the sleeping form next to him. 

Ren finally got free from the bed, and started tiptoeing towards the door. He grabbed the handle and turned it carefully, then slowly opened the door. The sound from the door was ear splitting. Ren immediately let go of the door and slowly turned around to check if Nora was awake. She was still sleeping peacefully, lightly snoring. He let out a sigh in relief that he wasn’t even aware he was holding in. 

He tensed up again as he heard the rustle of sheets, and he quickly glanced back at Nora, who was slowly regaining consciousness. Ren ran out of the room quickly, being as quiet as he could. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. As he slumped down onto the door, he stared at the immaculate bathroom. He noticed that there were a pair of toothbrushes and a toothpaste tube on the bathroom counter, as well as a comb and two towels. Ren smiled at the hospitality provided to them by Heather. 

He stood up and looked in the mirror, truly looking at his appearance for the first time since Kuroyuri. He definitely looked worse for wear, and was slightly dirty, but not to the extent that Nora was. He brushed his hair, contemplating leaving it down, before deciding otherwise and putting it back up into his usual hairstyle. He washed his face and hands, then began brushing his teeth. His thoughts wandered back to when his mother used to do all these things for him. He was pulled back into reality when he felt a drop of liquid land on his hand. Realizing he was crying, he quickly finished brushing his teeth, then washed his face a second time, drying his face and then the counter with it. 

He looked back in the mirror one final time, then opened the door. Ren’s eyes widened as they met aqua ones. She was staring at him with a weird look. Um, why is she looking at me like that? Ren thought to himself. He nervously laughed, taking a step back from Nora. 

“Um, Ren?” “Yes Nora?” “I need to use the bathroom.” Ren nearly choked on air. “O-oh, okay then.” 

He finally left the bathroom, and watched as Nora stepped inside. She looked back at him and smiled, before closing the door. Ren blinked at the door, then made his way to the kitchen. He noticed that Heather wasn’t there yet. He smiled, and started to cook breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet I forgot I wrote these ages ago  
> so you can have them now :)  
> Thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> I've been gone for a while now...  
> My apologies! I've just been under the weather. Lots has happened.  
> But, I'm back, and I will try my best to continue all my fanfics, plus new ones!  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
